Training Log Archive: PrueD

I didn't really get enough exercise at last night's MTBO but don't want to run for a few days - so headed off for a walk around Blackburn Lake before driving back to Benalla. Observation of the day - it seems to take me a whole day to pack and drive between Melb and Benalla (and visa versa). That is nearly 2 wasted days a week!

MBTO summer series event at Lysterfield Lake. The cool change had arrived by the time we arrived but there were still thousands of tourists frequenting the carpark on our arrival - though not too many out on the track. I learnt something regarding route choice from a previous event held here last year and headed out clockwise (around the lake) this time. My route choice was good, except that I made a decision to head back to the finish a little early and to not visit a nearby control - this meant that I was 8 minutes early and 20 points down.

My greatest observation regarding this event was the single track 'etiquette' - which resembled playing a game of 'chicken' ie - 'me or you, me or you (when eyeballing approaching cyclists), me or....OK then ..... me'. I must have got off 20 times to allow for passing cyclists. The question to be asked - why always ME? I think there should be extra points allocated to those cyclists who spent a large proportion of their time giving way on single track. It is really hard to get going again, especially on the uphill, on a single track.

Afterwards we had sausages and cheese toasties before heading off to a nearby cafe for more refreshments. Despite my lack of riding skill (and practice), I am starting to enjoy these MTBO events.

(Apologies for multiple entries on Friday [now deleted]. I forgot to take my laptop power lead to Melbourne and have been offline for most of the week - and therefore had to go to an internet cafe for Wed/Thurs entries(where nothing seemed to save). After various failed attempts to find a replacement lead at Officeworks and in Bruce P's backyard shed (almost as good as O'works), I resolved to spent the remainder of the week cyber-free.

C • downhill gives way 2

Oh, forgot to say that someone (no-one that I know) had a bad spill at MTBO and (I think) sustained a shoulder injury. I passed the woman walking out with the paramedics so she can't have been too bad. When I returned to the finish there were no less than 3 ambulances in attendance. In addition to these, we had our first aider and also 2 paramedics competing!

BOTH feet are now hurting (the tops, near the outside ankles), even walking along. This is an injury I have neve had before and wondered whether I strained them somehow on the weekend. Anyway, I stretched them a bit and walked around Blackburn Lake and environs this morning.

I have been off-line for a few days because I forgot to bring my computer power lead to Melbourne and have a flat battery. I tried to get a lead and adaptor at Officeworks, but was unsuccessful, so finally conceded that I wasn't going to get much done these few days.

I had to go back into town to get some more work this morning (but neither today's or yesterday's jobs can be started yet) but avoided Myers.

Injury appears to be coming from my ankle. This ankle has been badly sprained a number of times and is now seized up. A bit of stretching seemed to help and I really think that yoga would be beneficial. However I haven't found a yoga class anywhere near where I am and I am not sufficently motivated to do-it-myself at home from the yoga book I got for Christmas.

I went into town today to collect some work. I was due at 11.00 but Mum rang me at 07:00 to make sure I was out of bed and going to work. I think she is worried that I am not going to get started again.

Ex-colleague suggested I go and look at the Myer refurbishment. That was one big expensive mistake!

I had entered the A course at street-O (hays paddock, Kew East) tonight because it was a novelty score event and I wanted to run for an hour. But that was short lived - between the first and second controls something went *tug* in the side of my right calf. It was like a knot and I couldn't clear it - any attempt to run from thereon was met with intense pain, so I gave up and walked (painful as well, but less so). The event was interesting, with the novelty format comprising 3 unmarked controls. I chose a good route where I managed to strike a few of these. Shame about the leg.

I started working today. Office and desk are in order, house clean, garden tidy and I have a new monitor and keyboard. Old emails and computer files are archived. It took a bit to get started but once I got going, all was fine - and I enjoyed the peace and quiet that working from home brings. I also decided to indulge in the ultimate 'work-from-home' luxury - heading off to the pool for a swim in the sun amongst holiday-makers mid afternoon. Very pleasant.

C • A start! 3

A run around the normal circuit at Reef Hills. The weather a perfect 22 degrees and breezy. I struggled a bit today, both on the ups and downs, then returned home for a breakfast of big juicy blueberries which I picked last night from a blueberry farm in Lima South.